Bath apparatus



Patented June 24, 19 24,

HARRY 1;. VAN AT'lA, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BATH APPARATUS.

Application filed December 11, 1922. Serial No. 606,055.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY L. VAN ATTA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bath Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bath apparati and has for its principal object the provision of a device wherebyvapor baths, Turkishbaths, and the like may be taken in usually equipped private bath rooms with simple portable equipment.

It will be understood in the consideration of this invention that in order to take baths of the above character in a private bath room at home elaborate equipment is required in the way of cabinets which are required to be equipped with heat generating and vapor forming devices. Also such apparatus requires careful control of temperature and the user is considerably handicapped unless assisted It is therefore another object of the invention to provide means whereby a person may take baths of the above character without the use of special heating and vaporizing equipment and without inconvenience,

Another object of the invention'is to pro vide means whereby a person after taking a hot bath in a bath tub may subject himself to a constantly maintained temperature sufficient to induce perspiration, without having to leave the room or subject himself temporarily to lowered temperature or to a draft.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a simple portable means for taking such baths, to be used in con junction with a usual bath tub, which means is readily placed in position and otherwise handled by one person alone, and which when not in use may be stored away in a compact space,

- A further object of the invention is the rovision of a device for carrying out the oregoing objects, which is low in first cost, and which does not require additional plumbing or the use of any heating equipment other than that found in the average home.

Still other objects and advantages of my invention will appear hereinafter.

I have illustrated my invention by the accompanying drawings in which i have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, although it is conceived thatnu merous other embodiments will suggest themselves to the minds of those skilled in the art. 4

In the said drawings,

Figure 1, is a plan view of the said embodiment of my invention, illustrating its application.

Figure2, is a view in side elevation of the said embodiment. I

Figure 3, is a view in section, seen on a line 33 of Fig. l, of said embodiment; the view showing an attachment therefor in position.

Figure 4, is-a view in section, seen on 'a line 4L4i of Fig. 1, showing the application of the invention.

More specifically, in carrying out my invention a suitable receptacle is provided, here shown as consisting of a bath tub 5. Said tub is here shown as provided with the usual water faucets 6, whereby the tub may be filled with hot or cold water to the depth required.

A. salient feature of my invention resides in a preferably portable bed or stretcher 7, which is capable of being disposed lengthwise of the tub and capable of being suspended upon the upper edges 8 thereof. The stretcher includes a rigid frame 8, which in the embodiment shown comprises parallel side members 9 and 10, and end members 11 and 12. A centrally located tie member 13 is also provided to divide the area of the frame in two substantially equal sections and to strengthen the frame.

While it will be apparent hereinafter that V the stretcher may be made of any of a number of different materials, and may be either solid or porous, it is preferably porous, and in the embodiment shown I provide loosely woven material 14 to close the space surrounded by the frame members so that the stretcher may support a persons weight The loosely woven material is preferably cane or rattan, of the character and weave generally employed for chair bottoms, day beds and the like, and provides a multiplicltyof small openings 15, through which warm a1r, vapors and the like may pass as they ascend from the tub.

On each side of the members adjacent the end member 12 there is provided a block 16, which may abut an end Wall 17 of the tub, so that an opening 18, formed in the Woven materiahand bounded by a circular frame 19, will be disposed immediately over the faucets, whereby the user may control said faucets with ease.

The blocks also serve to limit the distance which the lower end of the stretcher may protrude over the tub, so the end carrying end member 12, hereinafter termed the head end, will-always be disposed beyond the tub. At; the head end, the side members of the rame are curved upwardly, as at 20, and thence; continuaon the horizontal at a higher elevation. At this end the side members are each supported on a frame 22 forming substantially a straight continuation thereof and connected with the extreme head end of each side member by shortstruts, such as 23.

Thus the woven material at this part of the stretcher provides what I term a pillow 24, oirwhichthe users headmay rest.

.It; will be apparent now that a person reclining on the stretcher will have his head comfortably disposed and beyond the region of. warm air and vapors'rising from the tub. To further assist in holding the stretcher in place on the tub and to carry some of the weight to which the stretcher may be sub-- ject, I provide a pair of arms 25, one at each side and extending in the same plane as the intermediate frame member. The said inter mediate member is provided on each side, about midway between its center and end, with a shackle 26, one for each arm, and each of said arms is slidable in its shackle, so thatfthe .efiective length of each arm may be altered. The outer end of each arm is formed with an arcuate portion 27 capable of fitting. over the rounded edge of the tub. It will be seen now that by the construction provided for the stretcher, and the locations of the arms and shackles, which are carried by the intermediate member, the weight to which the stretcher may be subject is well distributed over the upper edges of the tub.

In the application and operation of the abovedescribed part of my invention, the

stretcher is placed in the position indicated after the user has taken a. warm bath in the tub. By wrapping in a blanket and reclining on th'estretcher, while thetub remains partially filled with hot water, or while the contents of the tub is being constantly replaced by hotter water, the user will be in a zone of warm humid air. and vapor, so as -to-induce ample perspiration. Thus by employing the stretcher in con unction with a usual tub, a warm or hot water bath and thorough sweatbath may beenjoyed without leaving the bathroom and without assistance. Where conditions permit of supplying a constant stream of hot water into the tub to replenish the cooler water draining off from the bottom, copious quantities of vapor will rise from the tub, and the subject reclining on the stretcher may have all areas ments for the stretcher which are shown particularly in Figs. 3 and Said attachments comprise essentially a light portable frame 27, capable of attachment to the stretcher, and a covering 28, capable of being placed over and supported by the frame in substantially the manner shown, to provide an enclosed space 29. Said frame preferably comprises two similar semi-circular sections 30 and 3,1, which when placed together on the stretcher as shown in Fig. 4, form a frame of substantially a half circle in vertical section. Each section is made up of a plurality of curved strips 32, connected by longitudinal strips 33, and the entire section is preferably made of a material that while being light in weight will not warp or corrode, such as metal properly treated, or coated with rubber; Each curved member terminates at the lower end in a rounded end 34:, each of whichiits snugly in a corresponding socket 35, bored in the side members of the frame. One section may be placed in position before the subject takes a reclining position on the stretcher, and the other section may be easily placed in position by the user 1 while he is in that position. It will be apparent now that when the frame sections'30 and 31 are in position as shown in Fig. 4c, and the flexible covering 28, such as a blanket, is thrown over the frame, the tub is entirely enclosed to withhold in space all vapors and air rising from the tub.

In the application and operation of the complete assembly of parts shown in Fig. 4, the user may first take a hot water bath in the tub, if desired. Obviously, any volatile preparation, such as would be vaporized with the hot water or any usual bath preparation may be used in conjunction with my invention to obtain the effects of medicinal water baths.

When the bath in the water of the tub is completed the user may recline on the stretcher and place the frame and covering in position. As warm air and vapors rise from the tub they will ascend to the upper part of space 29, having easy access thereto y spaces 36 and 3?, existing between the sides of the tub and the stretcher which is preferably narrower for this purpose. Thus the upper portion of the users body will be well surrounded by the vapors, while that portion of the body in contact with the stretcher will be subject particularly to vapors rising through the small openings in the porous stretcher. The entire space being enclosed in which the users body is disposed, the full effects of the heat and vapor will be realized and the user will be entirely isolated from cold air currents and th like, and an evenly distributed temperature and state of saturation will exist throughout all of the enclosed space.

It will be seen now that I have provided a simple portable device which may be con veniently handled, and whereby a person without aid, and without stoves, boilers, Vaporizers, cabinets and the like enjoy the full benefits of many of the water and vapor baths known to those skilled in th art of hydrotherapy, in the privacy of their own home and without assistance, and

While I have shown a specific embodiment of my invention, 1 do not limit myself to any specific construction or arrangement of parts, or to any specific construction of parts employed, but may alter the construction and arrangement of parts employed from that shown and described, as I desire or as occasion requires, Without enlarging the scope of my invention and without departing from the spirit thereof, within the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described,

a frame comprising a pair of spaced rigid end members, a pair of spaced rigid side members, and an intermediate transverse member connecting the side members and dividing the space encompassed by the side and end members into two spaces; foramr nous material bridging each of the said elevation, and an extension to each of the side members paralleling the elevated portion of the corresponding end of the side member and continuing rearwardly below said elevated portion on the same plane as the unaltered portion of the said member, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a stretcher capable of spanning a tub; said stretcher including spaced side frame members of a divided cover support; each half of the cover support including, spaced curved members and longitudinal members connecting said curved members in assembly; one of said longitudinal members of one half capable of abutting a corresponding member of the other hali as and for the purpose set forth; said frame members formed with sockets and said curved members formed with rounded lower ends for insertion in said sockets.

HARRY L. VAN ATTA. 

